Uganda has contributed a sum of US $9.6 million to a South to South Cooperation tripartite project aimed at boosting agriculture production in the country.
This will be the phase of the agriculture project run after the first two phases yielded dramatic results, according to experts. The country is receiving support from China and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The FAO-China SSC Program was established in 2009 with a 30-million-dollar contribution from China, followed by two further 50-million-dollar pledges in 2014 and 2020 respectively.
Unilateral Trust Fund
The money, according to the FAO, will be put in a Unilateral Trust Fund. The contribution comes in addition to about US $2.4 million contributed by China to the project through the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Program Trust Fund.
The financing agreement was signed by Matia Kasaija, Uganda’s Minister of Finance and FAO Representative Antonio Querido. The project will focus on technology transfer, development of high-yielding schemes for rice and foxtail millet, support for livestock improvement programs and development of the aquaculture value chain.
“This third phase project will improve the lives and livelihoods of farmers and those who depend on them. The project will benefit 9,600 farmers, 30 percent of whom are women. It will also provide training for 200 technical officers in Uganda and China,” said Mr. Antonio Querido.
